2027 AFCON Qualifiers: Antoine Semenyo has a swollen leg, says GFA president Kurt Okraku

President of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), Kurt Okraku, has revealed that Antoine Semenyo spoke to Carlos Queiroz before opting out ahead of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers.

The Manchester City forward withdrew from Black Stars squad for the opening games of the qualifiers against Ivory Coast and Gambia after being named in the initial 24-man squad.

"Antoine [Semenyo] and the coach spoke, and he told the coach, 'If you need me, I will come down for the medical team to re-examine me. But the truth is that my leg is swollen, and we need to treat it," he said on Asempa FM.

"As a leader, if you want to know your players—and in this particular case, we know the players and how honest they are when it comes to situations like this—you’d have to ask yourself whether you’d allow Antoine to continue with his recovery and be ready for Man City and for Ghana during the next window, or have Antoine fly down to Ghana to undergo an MRI and then ask him to go back because he can’t play. His leg is swollen," he added.

Meanwhile, Ghana will be without several key players for the opening qualifier, with Mohammed Kudus, Antoine Semenyo, Thomas Partey, Jordan Ayew, Baba Rahman, Nathaniel Adjei and Alidu Seidu unavailable because of injury or personal reasons.

The Black Stars have arrived in Bouaké ahead of Thursday's Group C opener against Ivory Coast, with kick-off scheduled for 19:00 GMT.

Ghana will then return to Accra to face The Gambia at the Accra Sports Stadium on 27 September.

The group also includes Somalia, with Ghana aiming to return to the AFCON after missing out on the 2025 tournament in Morocco.

Queiroz's side will round off the international window with a friendly against Morocco at the Grand Stade de Tanger on 4 October.